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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350512">Four Dollars of Pain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedlings/pseuds/greedlings'>greedlings</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/inabsurd/pseuds/inabsurd'>inabsurd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Saga of Light and Dark - T. J. Chamberlain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Gift Giving, NOT OUR OCS BUT WE LOVE THEM, Swearing, bonding in hot topic, they may not be in character rip, we were drunk when we wrote this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:40:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>788</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedlings/pseuds/greedlings, https://archiveofourown.org/users/inabsurd/pseuds/inabsurd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Emmet's birthday and Poseidon has a trick up his sleeve.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Emmet Pomlei &amp; Nerissa Smith, Emmet Pomlei &amp; Poseidon Smith, Nerissa Smith &amp; Poseidon Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Four Dollars of Pain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_fish/gifts">silver_fish</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>WE GOT SUPER DRUNK WATCHING LOTR AND THEN WROTE CRACK FIC FOR TAYLO'S OCS BONE APLLE TEETH</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> this is what he wanted?” Nerissa asks. She lifts a fuzzy pair of t-rex socks from off the shelf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon shakes his head, “Well, he wanted socks. I don’t know how he’d feel about t-rex socks though,” he squints at them critically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are there other ones?” Nerissa asks, rifling through the bin of discount socks, “I’ve only seen the tyrannosaurus ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon isn’t listening anymore, not really—he noticed a small bin of colourful buttons by the till—but he does answer with a soft </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t know </span>
  </em>
  <span>that makes Nerissa roll her eyes before turning them back towards the sock bin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She does manage to find another pair, and she pulls it from the bottom of the bin with a small </span>
  <em>
    <span>aha! </span>
  </em>
  <span>before turning towards Poseidon. “Poseidon, how about triceratops? It seems those are the only two…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon turns with a huff, “This is clearly stegosaurus erasure! I won’t stand for it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I don’t produce the socks, do I?” Nerissa points out. “So, which will it be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon eyes the two pairs, eyes flickering from one to the other, “Why not get both?” he suggests, a mischievous grin pulling at his lips, “Socks are pretty cheap, and that way we can say we each got him a pair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nerissa squints, “You’re up to something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her brother just smiles sweetly, “C’mon, Issa, they’re on sale. We gotta get them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nerissa hmms and hahs for a moment, but caves anyways—he does have a point, and really, what’s an extra two dollars?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” Nerissa takes one pair in each hand and walks over to the till. “Do you want one of those as well?” she says, motioning towards the buttons he had been digging through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon gazes at them with a longing in his eyes, but, with a sigh, says, “No, I’m okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing better than to trust Poseidon when it comes to that particular question, she starts digging through the bin herself. She quickly spots four different buttons that could’ve caught her brother’s eye and lays them side by side for him to see. “Pick out a few,” she says, turning to a figurine shelf to let Poseidon do his thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tugs at her side sometime later, hands open excitedly to show off his choices; a small avocado pin and an ice cream cone one that reads </span>
  <em>
    <span>just chilling</span>
  </em>
  <span> along the sides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nerissa takes the buttons without question and takes them to the till with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It isn’t long before they’re done at the till, and they walk out with a small bag of socks and new pins sitting proudly on Poseidon’s sweater. It isn’t hard for them to find Emmet; even for the middle of November, it was strange for someone to wear so many dark colours at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon slides into the seat across from Emmet and, nearly yelling to be heard over the grumbling crowd of the food court, says, “We’re back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emmet waves and muffles a hello around the burger in his mouth, “How was shopping?” he finally asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon is absolutely giddy, “It was good, look at what Nerissa got me!” he points to his pins proudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emmet snorts, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Just chilling</span>
  </em>
  <span>? You really have strange taste, Squirt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No stranger than yours,” Nerissa butts in, taking the open seat next to Emmet, “We picked up your birthday present,” she tosses him the bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>gee thanks. </span>
  </em>
  <span>So nice of you to remember,” he rolls his eyes but opens up the bag anyway. He raises an eyebrow, “Socks?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy birthday,” Nerissa avoids eye contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nerissa,” Emmet says slowly, “I know you’re a little dense but even you gotta know I literally wear sandals all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nerissa stumbles over an excuse that never makes it past her lips, and Poseidon’s giggles escalate into something close to a cackle. “They’re dinosaurs, though,” Poseidon manages through his wheezing breaths, “You love those, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep blush grows on Emmet’s cheekbones, “well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yeah</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I guess, but—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what’s the problem?” Poseidon is nearly in hysterics as he asks, and Nerissa has to grab his arm to keep him from falling off of his chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The problem is that I’ll never actually wear these-” he pauses, understanding dawning in his eyes, “You little shit,” a grin stretches across his face, “Is this your idea of a practical joke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poseidon grins right back, “It’s my idea of a birthday present, actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps… perhaps you can wear them with those croc things you like so much?” Nerissa adds, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> sure why this is so funny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Emmet holds up the socks once more, a fond smile pulling at his lips, “I suppose I could. Or,” he smirks, “I could wear sandals </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>socks.”</span>
</p>
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